The annual World Pie Eating Championship is usually held at Harry's Bar on Wallgate, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The competition has been held since 1992. In 2006, a vegetarian version was added [1] after "relentless pressure" from the Vegetarian Society.[2]
In the 2006 competition, the meat and potato pies were all 12 cm (5 in) in diameter with a depth of 3.5 cm (1.5 in). In the separate vegetarian contest, the pies were 10 cm (4 in) by 3 cm (1.2 in).[3]
In the 2007 competition, entries included a competitor's dog, Charlie, who had eaten 20 pies and damaged a further 10 the night before the competition, nearly jeopardising the event.[2]
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Dave Smyth, a painter from Hindley, won the inaugural contest in 1992 when he ate four pies in three minutes.
Dave Williams of Preston, Lancashire.
Scott Ormrod of Aspull, Wigan, Lancashire. 11 pies in 30 mins
Anthony "The Anaconda" Danson, a weight trainer from Lancashire, managed to eat seven pies in three minutes, setting a new record.[4]
Matt Dunning (Australian rugby player).
Adrian Frost (42) from Wigan who downed his pie in a record-breaking 35.86 seconds [5]
Fred Wyatt, a 61-year-old warehouse packer won the 2008 Championship, which was broadcast live on the internet by pay-per-view.[6][7]
Barry Rigby, a warehouseman won, eating a pie in 45 seconds.[8]
Neil Collier, aged 42, won this year's contest with a new World Record of 23.91 seconds
Controversy was caused in 2005 when pies were imported from nearby Farnworth, Bolton and local Wigan pies were sidelined, resulting in a four-man strong protest.[9] A similar situation arose in 2009, with pies being sourced from Adlington.[8]
More controversy was caused in 2006 when the competition was changed (to meet government healthy-eating guidelines) from the number of pies consumed in a given time, to the fastest time to consume a single pie. [10]
Controversy struck again for the third year running when the competition actually ran out of pies before the competition had finished.
Wiganers are proud to be called pie-eaters, but the nickname is not thought to be because of their appetite for the delicacy. The name is said to date from the 1926 General Strike when Wigan miners were starved back to work before their counterparts in surrounding towns and were forced to eat "humble pie".[3]